Program Assistant – Los Angeles, CA
Organization: Climate Action Reserve
Position Title: Program Assistant
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Hours & Compensation: Full-time. Salary commensurate with experience.
Application Deadline: 5 pm on June 28, 2013.
Posted On: May 29, 2013.
Organization Overview:
The Climate Action Reserve is a national offsets program working to ensure integrity, transparency and financial value in the U.S. carbon market. It does this by establishing regulatory-quality standards for the development, quantification and verification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction projects in North America; issuing carbon offset credits known as Climate Reserve Tonnes (CRT) generated from such projects; and tracking the transaction of credits over time in a transparent, publicly-accessible system. Adherence to the Reserve’s high standards ensures that emissions reductions associated with projects are real, permanent and additional, thereby instilling confidence in the environmental benefit, credibility and efficiency of the U.S. carbon market.
The Climate Action Reserve operates as a program under the similarly named nonprofit organization. Two other programs, the Center for Climate Action and the California Climate Action Registry, also operate under the Climate Action Reserve.
The Climate Action Reserve launched the Center for Climate Action in 2009 to provide programs, services and resources to advance climate action in the West. The Center for Climate Action is a solutions-oriented, partner-driven program bringing together experts and thought-leaders from government, business, science and environment to discuss emerging issues in climate policy and build consensus for policy-oriented action.
Description:
The Program Assistant’s primary role is to support reporting and verification services, which includes providing customer services to account holders and conducting review of project reporting documentation of emissions reductions/removals projects under program standards. More specifically, the Program Assistant duties include the tasks below. These duties should be seen as a starting point and may evolve over time based on interests and experience.
Responsibilities:
Program Support (75%):
- Serve as a technical resource to project developers and verification bodies and provide guidance with respect to policy interpretation, methodology and clarification issues related to the Reserve’s protocols.
- Serve as implementation lead for at least one protocol.
- Review project and verification documents of verified projects to ensure compliance with the Reserve’s protocols and program rules.
- Draft clarifications to project developers and verification bodies on the findings of their project reviews.
- Review and make determinations on protocol variance requests.
- Conduct conflict of interest reviews between project developers and verification bodies.
- Help develop written materials and resources to assist reporting, verification, auditing and project activities.
- Respond to general inquiries about the Reserve’s reporting and verification program.
- Undertake and complete research assignments, as requested.
- Assist with the development training curricula and deliver project developer and verification trainings.
Administration (25%):
- Help manage resources including a database of guidance provided to account holders, policy and protocol clarifications, and verifier/technical assistance provider program updates.
- Assist in the maintenance of the Reserve’s internal and external operating procedures.
- Assist with development and maintenance of the programmatic portion of the Reserve’s website.
- Assist Program Director with other administrative tasks as needed.
Qualifications:
Desired Competencies:
- Diligently attends to details and pursues quality in accomplishing tasks.
- Can adjust effectively to work within new structures, processes, or requirements.
- Demonstrates dependability with respect to attendance and following the Reserve’s policies and procedures.
- Is committed to providing excellent service by showing an interest in and responding timely to our customers’ needs. Can describe our customers’ expectations.
- Uses sound methods to plan and track work, appointments, and commitments. Prioritizes tasks by importance and deadline, able to take prompt action to accomplish objectives.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in environmental science or management, public policy, or related degree.
- Experience or interest in working with GHG/climate change.
- Strong written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to review and understand technical documents, and present materials in an understandable fashion.
- Experience with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and dtatabases.
- U.S. citizenship or legal right to work in the United States.
How to Apply:
This position is available immediately. Interested candidates must submit the following information to the Search Committee:
- Cover letter
- Resume
- Writing sample (maximum of 5 pages)
Applications should be emailed to [email protected] with the header “Program Assistant Candidate”.
Contact Information:
Climate Action Reserve, http://www.climateactionreserve.org
601 West 5th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071
